


Roses, Lilies and Two Lips

by Summerspeck



Series: Sticks, Stones, Potentials, and Bones [2]
Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Post-Toppat King Ending | TK (Henry Stickmin), Romance, Toppat Ellie Rose (Henry Stickmin), Toppat Leader Henry Stickmin, mention of Reginald Copperbottom, mention of Right Hand Man
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29424324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Summerspeck/pseuds/Summerspeck
Summary: Consider the lily and how it grows. It neither toils nor spins nor leaves another friend to wilt or left to injury among a field of thorns sown from self-doubt and sadness.And her friend may find a seed of newfound appreciation. Will he make it grow into something more?
Relationships: Ellie Rose & Henry Stickmin, Ellie Rose/Henry Stickmin, Henry Stickmin & Ellie Rose, Henry Stickmin/Ellie Rose
Series: Sticks, Stones, Potentials, and Bones [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2096241
Comments: 8
Kudos: 21





	1. Act One

**ACT ONE**

Ellie Rose was a tough girl. Everyone onboard the space station knew that. But they also knew she could also be soft-hearted and concerned, particularly towards her friend and leader of the Toppat Clan, Henry Stickmin. The leader of the thief gang appointed her as his second-in-command, his special Right Hand Lady, and because of that, she held the responsibility of not only running the clan should he be thrown out of commission for some reason, but also to protect and advise him. And right now, her main focus centered on his health.

During a very recent jewel heist, he injured his left shoulder thanks to a security guard's bullet striking into his shoulder like a worm burrowing into an apple. Thankfully the medics managed to get the bullet out and heal his wounds. At least his flesh wounds.

But Ellie suspected that thanks to a combination of his endurability, his years of experience as a thief, and his near superhuman ability to conjure up options and solutions almost at will, the physical wound paled in comparison to a wound that dug much deeper than what he displayed on the surface. Ever since the previous leader of the Toppats, Reginald Copperbottom, handed the reins of leadership over to Henry for the second time - she wasn't there the first time it occurred so she couldn't truly testify what happened between the two men - Henry changed. She couldn't pin down exactly how, but he seemed more... reserved than usual. Perhaps it was because he wasn't quite yet used to interacting with a large group on a regular basis when he worked as a lone thief, but whatever was going on, it was enough to catch her attention and do some investigating.

Which was why she currently stood in front of his bedroom door. After being discharged from the medical bay, Henry retreated to his room to recover from his injury. She would have left him alone had it not been for one factor that alerted her to his presence in the room: the sound of water pouring into a cup.

Deciding it was okay for her to see him, she knocked on his door a few times. "Hey Henry, are you in there? It's me, Ellie."

A moment of silence then she could hear his footsteps getting louder and louder. Another moment of silence then she could hear the mechanics within the door operating as he unlocked the door. The door opened to reveal Henry. A large blanket hung from his thin shoulders.

"Hey, I came to check on you and - oh. Uh.... you're... not looking so hot, chief. Everything okay?"

Indeed he looked so ill. His top hat crown glistened proudly, but the color from his face? Pale. The light from his eyes? Dull. The expression? Drained and sad. The only remotely colorful thing about him was the purple cup of freshly made tea he held in his hand, the hot steam rising from within the tea and curling around his neck.

Henry tried to smile a little, the corner of his mouth struggling to tug upwards. And he won his struggle... sort of. He managed a very small smile as he nodded. 

Ellie didn't buy it. "Liar," she accused. "Now how about telling me how you're really feeling?" Pinning him with a stink eye, Henry sighed. He was about to reply but a yawn erupted from his mouth instead. Upon closer inspection, she could see he was more tired than he appeared.

Ellie placed a hand around his back and accompanied him back into the room. "If you're tired, why don't you go to bed? It's been a busy day and you should get some rest. It's natural you'd be tired after everything that's happened." She sat him down on his bed and then sat by his side. The colors of the bedspread were to Henry's liking - the scarlet and gray color scheme was fitting to the quiet man's tastes, although the grays seemed to wash out the reds with the current mood emanating from its owner.

He looked back at her before staring into his tea-filled cup. "Can't sleep," he quietly confessed. Closing his eyes, he drank some of his tea. It warmed him from head to toe. He felt a little better, but not by much.

She frowned. "Can't sleep? Is it because of your shoulder?" She received a shake of the head to that. "Then your shoulder's healed?" She received a so-so motion, flipping his hand back and forth. So the shoulder was gradually recovering, or at least it wasn't hurting him too much anymore. Just as she suspected.

Out of comfort, she held an arm around his back again. "What's wrong then? Do you want to talk about it? I'm all ears if you need a soundboard to echo off of. But I should tell you that if you're worried about what the Toppats think, you shouldn't be. They're happy with our new prize and nobody got killed. That Cuban Topaz has got the clan talking about you. With good favor, I might add."

He grew a small smile. He was genuinely pleased with the results of the heist - stealing the beautiful Cuban Topaz provided the clan with a priceless and mystical gem to their collection of prized treasures in the vault. Sure, he might have gotten hurt, but it was on par for the course. Besides, he built a strong wall of endurance in his years as a thief, and it was paying off.  


But there lied a different problem - some of the Toppats...

He placed his tea cup on the nightstand next to his bed and pulled his hat off. The golden dollar sign necklace previously worn around Reginald's neck now hung as hat decor on top of the hat's brim. Henry traced the dollar sign's shape tenderly. Ellie watched and waited as he collected his thoughts.

Sighing again, he set the hat next to him. He peeled off his brown shoes and motioned with a hand towards her. 

"Oh yeah, sure thing." She moved to let Henry pull his legs onto the bed.

He leaned back against his headboard and placed the hat onto his crossed-legged lap. Biting his lip, he tried to select the right words to express himself, which was easier said than done. Henry usually refrained from divulging his feelings on a regular basis.

"Take your time," she assured as patted his knee. "Start wherever makes you comfortable. I know it's not easy for you to share your problems when you were used to carrying them by yourself for so long. Trust me - been there, done that."

He nodded - and he perked up. Her words gave him a good starting point for how to voice his concerns.

Seeing the sudden movement, Ellie sensed he found a way to tell her what was going on. That was fast. "I guess by the way you moved, it was because of something I said and you can tell me now?"

He gave a thumb's up.

"Great! So... what's on your mind?"

Mentally preparing himself, Henry took a deep breath in. And exhaled it out.

Timidly, he asked Ellie... 

"Am I expendable?"

Ellie looked like she was the one struck down by a bullet. "Wha - expendable?! No! Of course not. You're the chief of the Toppat clan! We wouldn't have pulled off the heist today if it weren't for you. Yeah, you got hurt, but your shoulder's already recovering. You're strong, fast and tough, and I told you - the Toppats are saying good things about you. Heck, you've got a lot of good things _going on_ for you!

"I - Why would you say that about yourself???" This was honestly the last thing she would hear Henry say.

He looked away. Clutching the blanket close to his chest, he was about to speak again when a better idea came to mind. He looked around as if watching for anyone or anything eavesdropping. Sucking in his lips, he leaned forward and beckoned a hand for Ellie to come closer. Once she neared him, he tucked some of her hair aside and whispered into her ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** As the Right Hand Lady, Ellie pulls multi-duty as second-in-command of the whole clan, protector, adviser, and confidante of the Toppat Clan leader. But she has one other role that she built with him before she became his partner in crime - that of a loyal friend. And as a friend, it is almost customary to share secrets with other friends. But some secrets may carry more weight than others. Will she be able to bear the weight of the one Henry is disclosing to her? She will soon find out, here in the world of sticks, stones, potentials and bones.
> 
> I was inspired by the following fanfics: [AKhaos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKhaos/)'s "Toppat Days" and [LunarLilac](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunarLilac/)'s "Lilacs and Living Quarters". The line of action occurring in the pieces inspired this piece - the former for the budding romance between Henry and Ellie, and the latter for the setting, the details (like Henry's bedspread color scheme) and name of this two-parter short story. 
> 
> References:  
> -"Consider the lily and how it grows. It neither toils nor spins"... Bible verse Luke 12:27. It was a good verse to use as a summary for this story, and given that Ellie's hat holds purple lily petals on top of the brim, it made all the more fitting to use. If I see something from any text that I think I can use for writing, I'll use it!
> 
> -The Cuban Topaz is not a real gem, but its inspiration is! Topaz comes from the 1969 espionage film, 'Topaz', directed by the Master of Suspense himself (Mr. Alfred Hitchcock). Cuba plays a large role in the film because the film takes place during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. For those who don't know what that was, in a nutshell, it was when the world came close to engaging in nuclear warfare. But thankfully it didn't happen.
> 
> Back on point, I needed a gem or some other object of worth to act as a foundation for the plot (and to help explore more of the Stickmin universe). I was originally going to use the Pink Panther Diamond, but I didn't like the idea of rehashing a gem. So I went onto the 1960s thing I could think of which was this film. There aren't any gems in the actual film, but in this case it worked to my advantage haha!
> 
> Enjoy!


	2. Act Two

**ACT TWO**

"So you became leader of the Toppats the first time because Reginald surrendered the airship to you? And after the government sent one thief to infiltrate a whole clan of 'em, huh?"

Henry told her the story in detail of how he obtained the top Toppat title the first time around, and she found herself grinning in mischief as Henry sheepishly rubbed a hand behind his head. "I don't blame you. Getting a sweet deal like that? I think it would have been harder to resist the temptation." If given the chance to rule over a whole clan of thieves, take as much as they wanted and live life their own way with no one to stop them? While not quite the same, it provided another reason why she said yes to his offer to accompany him back to the Toppat secret base. Freedom to live was a precious treasure to her.

"So after you became the leader of the Toppats the first time, you did your thing as the Toppat chief. At least before you got captured and sent to the Wall." The name of that awful place tasted like poison, burning her tongue.

Henry displayed a similar kind of bitter ice through his narrowed eyes and vice grip on his blanket.

"Since you and I both know what happened from there, I'll gladly skip that," she quickly said with Henry agreeing with a thumb's up, "And we also know what happened at the Toppat base. But." She tilted her head. "What does any of this have to do with how you're feeling? I might have a better idea of what went down between you and Reginald on the airship, but did something else happen before you got locked up at the Wall to make you think you're expendable? Which you're NOT by the way."

Henry averted his eyes. And instantly, he reached over for his tea. Cushioning the cup into his hands, he took another drink. Still warm, but slowly beginning to lose its warmth. After putting the cup back on the nightstand, he whispered into Ellie's ear.

"Wait. _After_ your time at the Wall? ...I still don't get it. You were with me the whole time and even when we met up with Icepick and Snowcap back at the tavern. As far as I can see, nothing happened. Unless..." A terrible thought occurred to her. Creasing her eyebrows in dread, she held a hand over her chest and asked, "Did _I_ do something wrong?" She nearly jumped when Henry frantically whipped his head and hands back and forth to indicate 'no'.

That was a relief. But then what was he referring to?

Seeing Ellie's puzzlement, Henry fiddled with the blanket edges in his fingers as he thought about how to properly explain his next line of thought. Without a sudden warning, he grabbed his hat and shuffled off the bed. The urge to stare out of his porthole felt strong, and he gave into it; he stood over to the wall at a spot in the wall where the porthole offered a magnificent view of the Earth. It glowed, a blue diamond lit up in a sea of eternal blackness.

Ellie stood to her feet as Henry shrunk deeper into his blanket. "Henry?"

"..." He brought his hat up to eye level, eclipsing his view of the Earth. He stroked the dollar sign necklace again. And he closed his weary eyes and flipped through his Rolodex of memories. 

_He jumped off the tank. The rocket was so close... but the distance quickly widened. Henry couldn't grab the ledge!  
But someone grabbed him.  
"I gotcha, Henry," a familiar nasally voice rang out over the wind.  
He looked up.  
Reginald?  
"You know, I could drop you right now and nobody would know...."  
No. No! He wouldn't dare drop him. Don't leave his life hanging in the balance just to satisfy your own -  
"But why would I do that?"  
And Henry was pulled to safety. Thank his lucky stars.  
But would his own star align and shine brightly within the clan now that he was back?  
"He...."_  


Ellie inwardly cringed at Henry's ragged, beaten and hushed statement. But pressing on, she took a step forward and gently asked, "He? Who's 'he'?"

He peeked around his shoulder to check on the closed door. Then he resumed stroking the necklace.

"..." Ellie wanted to sigh. Just because she understood that Henry preferred action over word did not mean she could always understand Henry's silence, as in the case right now. But in his gloomy state of mind, it was deemed a necessity for her to uphold her patience. Even if it wasn't one of her best virtues. "Hen. Who are you talking about?"

Bringing his fingers up to his nose, Henry curled his wrist down and then up while holding his index finger and thumb together as if he were twirling a mustache.

Ah, now they were making progress. "Reginald?"

An affirmative grunt and then soon after, one again under the raspy code of whispering into her ear, he told his story and awaited her response. The reaction spectrum of the human female species ranged very widely, and Ellie, though she differed with her simultaneous mellow snow and blazing fire personality, shared one trait with the rest of the female population - unpredictability.

And her tone, thickened with subzero ice, provided a prime example of that unpredictable nature. "He _what_? He said that to you while you were hanging onto his hand?"

To hide himself from her cold stare, he buried himself further into his blanket cave. But he answered, tentatively nodding.

Cooling her fury down, she cast her gaze onto the floor, the gears in her mind working. "So that's why you've been keeping to yourself whenever Reginald's been near. And Right Hand Man too because of his cybernetics and their close bond. It makes sense now." She returned her gaze to him. "You're scared of him waiting for the right time to take you out so he can be the leader again."

He shrugged. But immediately, he regretted it - a sharp pain shot through his injured shoulder. He shuddered and hissed through clenched teeth as he clutched his shoulder tightly.

Faster than a speeding silver bullet, Ellie held him by the side. "You must have moved your shoulder the wrong way. Did the doctor give you medicine before you were discharged?" She followed his pointed finger to a drawer in the nightstand. "Got it. Here, you better lie down. I'll get them for you."

Still clutching onto the hat like a lifeline, Henry let Ellie guide him back to his bed. She pulled the covers off and he was tenderly nudged into the bed. As he climbed in, she removed the blanket off his shoulders and placed it on top of the other covers. She bundled them up all to his chest while he carefully nestled himself into the pillows underneath to accommodate his shoulder.

After he felt the pain briefly leave him, Ellie took it as her cue to paw through the drawer for the medicine. "Here they are." She held up the container and read the instructions. "I'll get some water for you."

Henry pointed to his tea cup on the nightstand, indicating that she could use it for the water. 

"Great! I'll be right back." Grabbing his cup, she disappeared behind another door near the main entryway - the bathroom door. Like magic, she reappeared with his water-filled up in one hand and a medicine tablet or two in the other. Sitting at Henry's bedside, the makeshift nurse handed the water and medicine to the patient.

The latter threw the medicine into his mouth, swallowed the pain killers and took a gulp of water to drown them into his body. Reeling from their chalky aftertaste, he gave the cup to Ellie and relaxed his back into his pillows. He sighed in relief quietly before softly lifting his eyes to meet Ellie's. His wide eyes and tiny smile beamed out of thankfulness.

She smiled assuringly. But her mind snapped back to an important detail she learned. And she saw Henry's mind snap back to the present moment too. She sighed deeply and said, "But Reginald pulled you up, and he and Right Hand Man haven't made a move to take your place. They've offered suggestions and walked you through the hows of running the clan but that's it. They even called you 'chief' just like the rest of the Toppats. Besides, they know that they'll have ME to deal with if they try and lay a hand on you," Ellie smirked and bared her fangs viciously.

Henry could not resist chuckling at that. It was true - for all of Reginald's trickery and deceit and Right Hand Man's cybernetics and fierce fighting style, both quickly learned not to underestimate the woman in action. It provided another reason why Henry happily granted her the rank of Right Hand Lady when she was recruited into the clan.

The humor left Henry though, and he lowered his eyes again. They caught the hat next to him. He held it in his hands, contemplating.

She noted his hesitation. "You're still scared?"

He then whispered something so quietly she had to ask him to repeat it.

And he said, "Hurt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Well, looks like I lied about this being a two-parter course. This seemed like a good place to stop, and it's good to slowly build things up without shoving too much into one's face, no? One more part after this and Henry finally spills the beans on what's been eating him this whole time. Poor guy. At least Ellie's being a good listener here! 
> 
> References:  
> -For those who don't know what a Rolodex is, it's a rotating file device used in offices to store business contact information or information in general. 
> 
> Enjoy!


End file.
